Fertility Forward

PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a common diagnosis that affects a lot of women, especially when they’re trying to conceive, and unfortunately, most of us don’t know too much about it. What does it look like? How does it affect our bodies? What causes it? Or how can we manage it with lifestyle changes and medications? This topic we are discussing today is near and dear to all of our hearts. Our guest today, Dr. Kimberely Thornton, is an RMA physician, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and a board-certified obstetrician and gynaecologist, and has served as a faculty member at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Today we are excited to welcome Aimee Raupp who is a women’s health and wellness expert and the bestselling author of Body Belief, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant, and Chill Out & Get Healthy. Aimee is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist who holds a Master of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University. She has appeared on The View, and has been featured in Glamour, Allure, and Shape, amongst other publications. Our guest has also received a public vote of confidence from prominent figures such as Deepak Chopra, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Arianna Huffington, and Gabby Bernstein, specifically pertaining to the work she does to help women improve their fertility and overall health.

Whether individuals of Jewish faith are struggling with fertility, women's health, men's health, genetics, or intimacy, PUAH is here to help couples fulfill their dreams of building a healthy family in accordance with Jewish law. Today’s guest is Rabbi Segelman, the rabbinic advisor for PUAH in America. After studying in Israel for two years at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, Rabbi Segelman attained a B.A. in Psychology from Touro College’s Lander College for Men, as well as an M.A. from Touro College’s Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Currently, Rabbi Segelman counsels and guides couples across the USA through the most complicated and cutting edge questions in fertility, genetics, and Halacha.

If you’ve ever wondered how exercise can affect your fertility fitness journey, or if you’ve simply run out of ideas to motivate yourself to continue exercising through it, today’s podcast is meant for you. In this episode of Fertility Forward, we chat with Mahri Relin, a former professional dancer, and find out how it was through dancing that she discovered her passion for fitness. Mahri spent her early years in the fitness industry working as a trainer for the Tracy Anderson studio and went on to become the creative director for FlyBarre at FlyWheel Sports. After extensive experience, Mahri noticed gaps in fitness solutions for women going through their most significant life events and changes.

After becoming a fertility patient in 2004, Risa Levine began working to ensure federal insurance coverage for infertility treatment, and worked closely with RESOLVE for the passage of the family act to provide a tax credit for medical expenses incurred for infertility treatment. She has now committed to securing coverage for IVF for veterans injured in the line of duty, and for exploding the New York State mandate for including coverage for IVF. Following her own losing battle to keep her embryos in her divorce, Risa is dedicated to legislative change that would enable a party to keep his or her embryos as they desire. She is a passionate believer in grassroots activism and has been honored by RESOLVE numerous times. By day, she is a real estate attorney in the State of New York. In this episode, we talk about the Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) and the importance of advocacy, where the surrogacy bill is today, and the legal nuances surrounding gestational surrogacy and establishing parental rights.

Have you ever wondered what the direct impact of what you’re eating has on your chances of getting pregnant? Today’s episode is all about food and fertility, and our guest is an expert in the field. Dr. Jorge Chavarro is the Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Co-Director of Epidemiology and Genetics Core at Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center. His research focuses on investigating the role of nutritional factors in the pathogenesis of diseases affecting reproductive and hormone sensitive organs. He is the co-author of the veritable Bible of fertility nutrition, titled The Fertility Diet, which reveals startling research from the landmark Nurses’ Health Study that shows how the food you eat can either boost or reduce your fertility. Today, we speak to Dr. Jorge, who is a role model on the important nutrients and specific foods for fertility, about the potential dangers of soda, plastics, and the environment and their impact on fertility, as well as current research on health and fertility. We discuss The Fertility Diet and how Dr. Jorge came to write it, and we go into detail about the effects of trans-fatty acids, high glycemic load, and animal protein, including fish and full-fat dairy.

Recurrent pregnancy loss or multiple miscarriages can be particularly challenging because they frequently cannot be medically explained. While couples may begin to feel hopeless after going through this difficult infertility obstacle, our guest today, Dr. Daniel Stein, shares that it’s not all doom and gloom, and that hope is still certainly there. Dr. Stein is the Director of RMA of New York’s Westside office and is Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology at Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital. He has been recognized by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly as one of New York’s “Best Doctors” and has been named a “Top Doctor” by US News & World Report. We kick off the episode by learning more about how a personal experience prompted Dr. Stein to work in reproductive endocrinology.

The handling of eggs and sperm in the culturing of embryos is delicate and complex and is performed by highly-trained embryology and andrology specialists. RMA of New York has a large and experienced lab team that is committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and precision to achieve superior success rates and healthy pregnancy outcomes for our patients. In this episode we talk to Senior Embryologist at RMA of New York, Donna Dowling, about what exactly an embryologist does, the process of making an embryo, ICSI explained, and what happens to your eggs post-retrieval.

If you have ever had a question about exercising while trying to conceive and during pregnancy, this episode is a must! Our guest today, Juliette Walle, is a personal trainer whose training style is deeply rooted in an understanding of biomechanics. With a love of athleticism and finding the fun in fitness, her sessions are energy filled and sweat-inducing, tailoring every workout to her client’s needs, goals, and preferred styles.

Having a solid support structure during your fertility journey is extremely important, whether that be a partner, a friend, or an established support group. Nancy Kaufman is a licensed psychoanalyst practicing in New York City for more than 30 years, working with individuals, couples, and groups dealing with infertility and parenting after infertility. Following her graduation from Columbia University School of Social Work, she completed her analytic training at the Centre for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, serving on the faculty and as a training fellow.